


Mossclan's Beginnings

by AnimagusBadger



Series: Warriors of Star Mount [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Changing the Warrior Code (Warriors), Deaf Character, F/M, Male Protagonist, Original Cat Clans (Warriors), Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25961047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimagusBadger/pseuds/AnimagusBadger
Summary: The first story in the Warriors of Star Mount saga.Root and his brother were living a simple, quiet life in the woods just beyond the twoleg place, until a strange tom comes with tales of the clans. Root then has a strange and vivid dream that his deceased mother visited him with a message, to find those who will follow, and lead them to the clans.A part of him wants to do as she says, but another part of him has doubts. His brother believes in him, and it seems that for the most part, those who choose to follow him do too, but did he really receive a message from his mother, or was it all just a dream?Their first challenge is to make it to the other clans, but the struggles of Rootstar, and his newly formed Mossclan don't end there. Leading a newborn clan is no easy task, whether a cat believes in himself or not.
Series: Warriors of Star Mount [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884268
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

"Did you hear?"

Root paused and pricked his ears to listen. He had just been on his way home with a freshly caught mouse when he'd heard the whispers, coming from behind some bushes to his left. He could scent two cats.

"Hear what?" A second voice asked, mirroring his thoughts.

"About the clans," the first said emphatically, "There are these groups of cats away northwards that call themselves clans."

"Clans?"

"Yes, they have strange ways, and they accept newcomers sometimes, but they don't take kindly to outsiders who don't intend to join them."

"How strange, do you intend to join them?"

"Not at all, but I've heard of cats who have. It's only a few days' journey northeast, but I don't see the point, we have a good thing going here and it would be foolish to throw that away, chasing strange cats with strange new ideas."

"I agree, nothing but trouble will come of it I'm sure."

The voices faded, but Root remained where he stood, pondering these clans that they spoke of. Perhaps they had a point, but his curiosity was piqued.

Slowly, he continued on his way, almost forgetting the hunger in his belly and the mouse in his jaws, until he wiggled his way into the old fox den where his brother sat waiting with a dove.

"I see you've had some success as well!" Deer said, "Good, I wasn't looking forward to sharing again."

Deer was the bigger of the two, he wasn’t a small cat, unlike Root. Their mother used to say that Deer was born extra big, though they all knew that Root was the one born extra small. His patched fur was also a much darker brown than Root’s, though more thin and coarse.

"Have you heard about the clans?" Root wondered as he set his mouse down.

"You too?" Deer asked, "Yes, everyone seems to be talking about it, apparently some old tom came down from the northeast with tales of them."

"He met them?"

"It seems so," Deer said, taking a bite of his dove, then through his mouthful he asked, "Why?"

"I don't know…" Root said thoughtfully, "Just curious I suppose, isn't it interesting?"

"Perhaps," Deer replied, "Though I don't see the point of sticking our noses in it, it has nothing to do with us."

"No, it doesn't," Root said slowly, "But still, you know me."

Deer frowned at him, "Yes, that's why I should be worried."

"Are you not?" Root grinned.

"Not as much as I should be, I’m sure. Now eat your mouse, or else I will.”

He tried to put the whole thing out of his mind, but it always wormed its way back in, and that night, in his dreams, he thought that he heard whispers of clans and destiny. He woke feeling as if he hadn’t slept much at all.

Deer was already gone, probably hunting.

Root stretched, his muscles stiff and aching from a restless night’s sleep, then he headed out. If he didn't at least try to find his own breakfast, Deer would box his ears.

If neither of them came back successful, they would go right back out. There had been days when all they’d had to eat was a single mouse between them, usually in leaf-bare when prey was more scarce, but most often there was plenty to keep them alive and healthy enough. They were both strong young toms, not all of the cats around there were as fortunate.

Root knew of a family of four she-cats in which only one hunted most of the time. He believed her name was Hound, after her excellent sense of smell. Hound had born a litter of kits a few moons ago, and lost most of them. Her mate had taken no interest in the kits and moved on to other she-cats. It wasn’t a particularly rare story around here, where most cats were only concerned for their own interests.

A cat like Hound, going hungry many days to feed her family instead, was uncommon. Most cats would have shed the dead weight.

Deer often said that they would all end up dead, that Hound should have taken her kits and left the other two a long time ago, but Root admired her devotion. Besides, Deer was a bit of a hypocrite, he could have left Root behind a long time ago, but they’d stuck together, even when one of them got sick and couldn’t hunt. Deer always complained when Root got sick, but he knew that his brother cared, or else he would leave.

He could scent that other cats were in the woods nearby, so he decided to try his luck closer to the twoleg dens. Sometimes one could find kittypet food left out, but it usually wasn’t available to Root, it would either all be eaten by the time he got there, but he would have to fight other cats over it, and Deer might do well, but Root wasn’t the best fighter.

He knew of a twoleg garden where birds and squirrels often went to eat from hanging contraptions that the twolegs filled with seeds. That would be his best bet.

He hopped up onto the back fence of a twoleg garden and walked along it until he reached the front, leaping down and keeping close to the bushes as he trotted along to the next twoleg den, and the next.

There were so many different scents to pick apart in the twoleg place, those of many other cats, dogs, the various plants and prey that inhabited the gardens, the acrid stench of the sleeping monsters, and of course, the twolegs themselves.

It could be overwhelming, especially if he hadn’t been in the twoleg place in a while. There were a lot of scents in the woods too, but they were all so much more subdued, and less layered over each other. There could be a lot more noise in the twoleg place too.

Root was about to cross the monster path when he heard, then spotted, a twoleg leaving its den on the other side. He slipped under a nearby monster and watched from there as it climbed into its own monster, which roared to life, and turned out onto the path.

He gave it a moment to make sure there wouldn’t be any more activity, then crawled out from under the monster and raced across the path, not stopping until he reached the cover of some bushes.

Root went a few more dens down, then slipped through a gap in the fence, into the yard where the twolegs put out food for the birds and squirrels.

A jay was scratching at the ground, intending to bury some seeds for later, and Root slipped into a hunting crouch, eyes locked on his prey. He made it halfway, then there was a bang, the sound that the entry and exit to a twoleg den makes when slammed shut, and the shouts of twoleg kits from the garden on the other side of the fance.

He scowled as the bird flew away, startled by all of the noise from the next den over. He’d almost had it! Stupid noisy kits.

Root heard the soft thud and creak of another cat jumping onto the fence behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder, hoping it wasn’t one of those territorial kittypets.

“Bad luck,” the tom said, he was a plump orange tabby, a cat that Root knew, “I haven’t seen you around here since leaf-bare.”

“Pumpkin,” Root greeted the kittypet, “Yes, the woods seemed busy today, so I thought I would have better luck here.”

“Clearly not,” Pumpkin said with a glint of humor in his eye, “I would offer you some of my food, but I don’t tend to leave much left.”

“I can see that.”

“I’m not fat, I’m fluffy,” Pumpkin huffed, then said, “Anyways, I guess you didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?”

“A lot of cats are gathering in the woods today to hear that stranger talk about the clans, you have heard that much, haven’t you? I don’t know how much information reaches you way out there in the woods.”

“It’s not that far away,” Root shook his head, “Yes, I did hear talk of the clans and a stranger yesterday, though I didn’t hear about this gathering, are you planning on going?”

“What for?” Pumpkin laughed, “I have no need for all of that nonsense, I have a nice comfortable life with my twolegs, and I think you should too, all of you. I bet mine would take you in if we showed them what good friends we are.”

“Thanks, but no thanks, Deer and I are happy on our own, and in any case I should get going. As my brother says, idle chatter doesn’t fill bellies.”

“True enough I suppose.”

When Root had made his way back to the woods, he followed the scent trails of the other cats until he reached a little clearing where they were gathered. An old tabby tom sat on an old log above the group, washing his face and ignoring the cats trying to get his attention.

Looking around, there were cats that he recognized, like Hound and her family, cats that he thought seemed familiar, like one black tom, and cats that he didn’t recognize at all, such as one gray she-cat with black spots that appeared to be pregnant.

“I thought I might find you here,” said Deer as he appeared at Root’s side, a disapproving look on his face.

“You know me,” Root replied with a smile.

Deer shook his head, but settled down beside him, prepared to sit through the gathering alongside his brother.

When the old tom finished washing his face, he introduced himself as Parsley, “I travel around a lot, and cats are often interested in what news I bring with me, but I’ve never had such an audience before, and frankly I don’t blame you, because this time my news is especially odd.”

Several cats spoke up, asking to hear about the clans, and Root sat up straighter, feeling just as excited as everyone else.

“Well let’s see…” Parsley muttered, “Where to begin?”

A million questions arose, followed by much shushing, and Parsley lashed his tail impatiently until everyone had quieted down again.

“I wandered into the foothills of some mountains, they call it The Ridge there, and that’s where I encountered the first clan, they called themselves Summitclan, and they were led by a she-cat that they called Sunstar. They invited me to join them and were disappointed when I refused, but they gave me a meal and bade me continue on my way. The next clan I encountered were Oasisclan, and they were less friendly, they didn’t even ask me to join, they just chased me off.”

“How many clans are there?” one cat asked.

“Four I think, though I only met three of them, the third was Cloverclan, like Summitclan they asked me to join, but they turned hostile when I again refused.”

“Is that all you know?” one cat asked, sounding disappointed.

“Not at all, I learned some things in the time I spent with Summitclan.”

Questions again arose, then again the shushing, until everyone fell silent and Parsley could continue.

“The whole clan works together, feeding and caring for one another, and they have a hierarchy, with a leader, a deputy, what they call a medicine cat, and warriors. It seems that the deputy will be the next leader, if the leader dies, but their medicine cat is looked up to just as much as their leader. I would infer from the title that they are in charge of caring for the sick and injured, but it seemed like there was more to it, though they didn’t say much about it.”

There were whispers of, “How strange,” and, “Secrets can’t mean anything good.”

“You said they have warriors,” one cat spoke up, “That sounds as if they intend to do a lot of fighting.”

“Yes, I asked about that, it seems that they will fight and chase off dangerous animals like foxes, and that there’s sometimes conflict between the clans.”

“They chase off foxes?” one she-cat asked in disbelief, “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Some cats muttered about it being scary, while others whispered that they would like to see that, or that it was impossible.

“What else do you know?” Root spoke up, eager for more.

“Nothing really,” Parsley admitted, “After they found out I wasn’t interested in joining them, they didn’t feel the need to explain themselves any more than necessary, though I noticed that the deputy would send the warriors out on patrols for food or to mark their territory.”

Several cats muttered amongst themselves in disappointment, and Root agreed with the sentiment, he had hoped for more, though he supposed that he had already gotten more than he thought he would. The group soon began to break up, though a few stayed to hear other news from Parsley, unrelated to the clans.

“Ready to go now?” Deer asked, “I bet you didn’t even eat before coming here, you mousebrain.”


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Root could hear the whispers again as he slept, until finally they fell silent, but then he felt a soft breeze ruffle his fur. Odd, there wasn’t usually a draft in the old fox den. Was that… grass he felt underneath?

“Root.”

He drew a sharp breath at the sound of that voice, soft as kit fluff, and sweet as honey. He opened his eyes and looked up, hardly believing what he saw.

“Mother?” he asked, taking in the light brown tabby she-cat, with her vivid green eyes, he was immediately seized with the desire to bury his nose in her soft fur and breathe in her scent, like he had as a kit.

“Hello my little one,” she said softly, like a mother to her newborn kit.

Hesitantly, he moved closer, he needed to feel her, smell her, hear her heartbeat. She gave him an encouraging smile, and he pressed himself up against her, burying his face in her chest. She felt so much smaller, but of course, he had gotten bigger.

When he breathed in her scent it was a long forgotten memory returned, and when a rumbling purr started up in her chest, that too was a memory returned.

“You’ve grown so much,” she said.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, “But- but how are you here?”

He stepped back, taking in the sight of her again, and he realized now that her pelt seemed to glimmer slightly.

“You’re dead…” he remembered.

She gave him a sad look, “Yes, and I have ached being apart from my kits, only able to watch from afar as you grew up without me, but I am so proud, and there is something that I must tell you.”

He didn’t know what to say. This couldn’t really be happening, could it? He must be dreaming…

“You must take what cats you can, and journey northeast,” she said.

“To the clans?”

“Yes, there are those who would follow you, find them, and lead them, that is your destiny.”

“Lead them? You mean a clan, or just the expedition?”

She gave him a knowing smile and said, “As much as it pains me to say goodbye again, our time is coming to an end.”

“No, please!”

“I love you, and Deer too, I’m very proud of the both of you,” she said, her voice becoming distant.

In the next second, he jolted awake with a gasp, “No!”

Beside him, Deer flattened his ears and groaned, then opened his own eyes and peered up at Root, “What’s gotten into you?”

“I saw- I thought-” he shook his head, “Nothing, it was just a dream.”

“Seems more like a nightmare,” Deer yawned.

“No, not at all,” Root sighed, resting his chin on his paws.

Deer blinked at him thoughtfully, then shifted closer and laid his head on Root’s back, “Then why are you upset?”

Root remained silent for a long moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking, “I dreamed about mom.”

“Oh,” was all Deer said in response, he knew that his brother would have his own feelings about it, they’d both lost her.

“It was so real,” he went on, “I could see, smell, feel, and hear her so clearly… you’re not falling asleep again are you?”

“Of course not,” Deer said, then raised his head and began washing Root’s ears.

“She even spoke to me.”

Deer paused for a moment, then resumed without a word. Root knew that his brother wasn’t going to say much until they both knew that he’d said everything that he had to say.

“Not that it was anything important…” he wasn’t sure what his brother would think about it, and he suddenly felt a little embarrassed, Deer already thought that he was too obsessed with the clans.

Deer still didn’t respond, and it made him want to squirm, his brother knew that he had more left to say, and neither of them were going to speak again until he’d said it.

“She said that she was proud of us,” he said, his throat tightening, “That she was sad to have to watch us grow up without her.”

His brother stopped grooming again, and this time he didn’t resume, Root knew that he was too wrapped up in his own emotions.

“Was that all she said?” Deer asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Root hesitated, “It was just a dream…”

“Maybe,” Deer replied, his tone noncommittal.

“It’s stupid, it doesn’t make any sense, you’ll just laugh.”

Again Deer just remained silent, and Root almost wanted to box his ears, but finally he relented, “She said that she had a message for me, that I need to find those who will follow and lead them to the clans."

He shifted so that he could see his brother’s expression, expecting to see exasperation, or something similar. Instead, Deer looked thoughtful. Was he taking it seriously?

“Why?” Deer said, seemingly to himself.

“She said something about destiny, but it was just a dream.”

“Maybe…” he said, frowning.

“What do you mean maybe?” Root flattened his ears, “Of course it was a dream, what else would it be?”

“Yes, of course it was a dream,” Deer agreed, “But maybe it wasn’t just a dream.”

Root gave his brother a baffled look and waited for him to elaborate.

“I remember one time, after our father died, that mother told us about… about what happens to cats after they die, do you remember?”

“No.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, she said that the stars are the spirits of our ancestors, and the sky is their hunting ground. No matter where we go, we can always see the stars, because our ancestors follow us wherever we go, and sometimes, rare and lucky cats get to meet with the spirits in their dreams.”

“So you think that it really was her?” Root asked, hoping and fearing that his brother would say yes, but equally that he would say no.

“I think that it’s a definite possibility,” Deer said with hesitation, “I don’t know how I feel about her message, but if it really was her… I think we should do what she says.”

“It… it certainly seemed like her, but I don’t know. What if it was just a dream, and doing what she said is a mistake?”

“I’ll leave it up to you,” Deer decided, “If you decide to stay, we’ll stay, and if you decide to go, I’ll follow.”

“You didn’t like the idea of the clans though.”

“I’m still not so sure about them, but I believe what mother told me, and I believe in you too, have you ever had a dream as vivid as that one?”

“No, and to be honest, I didn’t even remember her that clearly at all, not her appearance, or her scent, or the sound of her voice, but the moment I saw, heard, and smelled her… it was like going back to when I was a kit, it was all so clear."

Deer gave a bittersweet smile, “I envy you that.”

“So… you think we should do what she says?”

“I told you, wherever you go, I’ll follow.”  
Root hesitated, he thought he already knew, but he didn’t want to say it, “Let’s do it then, but before we go, we have to find the others that she spoke of.”

“I know just the way,” Deer said, getting to his paws.

“How?” Root asked, scrambling to get up as well.

“Come on, we’re going to see old Parsley again.”


	3. Chapter 3

With the offering of food, the brothers were able to secure Parsley’s reluctant aid in again gathering any and all cats with the slightest interest in the clans. It took them the better part of the day to get the word out, and that night Root had difficulty sleeping, knowing that the next day he would have to somehow convince them to join him on his sudden and unusual journey.

That morning, they left their den extra early to hunt. They each caught a piece of prey, but one went to Parsley, their payment for his help, and they shared the other. Root didn’t think he would be able to eat a whole bird by himself anyway, his stomach was too full of anxiety.

Some that came to the first gathering had lost interest in the clans and did not make an appearance, but there also came others that were not there before. New cats with a new interest.

Parsley sat on his log, washing his face, and waiting. Root and his brother waited on the ground, a few paces away from the log, as inconspicuous as they could manage.

None of the gathering cats knew what exactly this was all about, just that it had to do with the clans.

Whispers arose from waiting cats.

“What does he have to say?”

“I thought Parsley told us everything he knew.”

“Did he forget something last time?”

“He is old.”

Root noticed with amusement, that Parsley’s ears flicked back slightly at that last comment.

When it seemed that the flow of arriving cats had stemmed, and when Root could sense that the time had come, Parsley cast them the briefest of glances, and sat up straight. The gathered cats fell silent, their curiosity burning.

“My friends,” Parsley said, “I must confess, that I am not the cat that you came here to listen to today. I won’t give my personal opinion on what this cat has to say, but I think that he, like anyone else, deserves to be heard. I encounter many strange cats on my travels, and he is among them, but he is not the strangest of them all, and even the strangest was worth lending an ear.”

The gathered cats shared curious, confused, and exasperated looks in the small pause that Parsley gave, but none seemed to have anything to say. Not yet at least.

“I suppose I have rambled long enough,” Parsley sighed, “So, please turn your attention to my young friend here, Root.”

He tensed up as the old cat’s gaze fell on him, followed by those of many others. Root found that he could not move under the weight of their attention. What was he doing here?

“You can do it,” Deer whispered, headbutting his shoulder.

At last, Root drew a breath, and joined Parsley up on the log. He met the old cat’s gaze, and found that he was too afraid to look at his audience.

“Don’t waste this,” Parsley muttered, “I won’t help you again.”

Closing his eyes, Root turned towards the crowd, then slowly opened them again. His gaze wanted to dart around, frantic, but he tried to keep it steady and unfocused. If he paid too much attention to the many cats he could see before him, he feared that he wouldn’t be able to speak.

Where to begin? No matter what he said, he was sure that most, if not all, of the cats present would think that he was crazy. It would probably be best not to mention the whole, being told to do it by his dead mother in a dream, thing.

He didn’t know how many cats shared in what Deer’s and his mother taught them about the stars, if any, and it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take at that moment.

“After hearing about the clans, and giving it some thought,” Root said, deciding to get straight to the point, “My brother and I have decided to travel northeast, to join the clans, and perhaps, start our own clan. We welcome anyone interested to join us.”

There was an eruption of chatter among the cats, and it was hard to make out what anyone was saying. He gathered from their body language that many cats didn’t like the idea, were uncertain, or wary.

“Listen!” Deer shouted over the noise, as he stepped up to the base of the log.

The cats quieted down, and Root said, “Deer and I have lived our entire lives here, as I’m sure most, if not all, of you have. We don’t make this decision lightly. Over the years I have seen and heard of cats dying, the elderly forgotten and uncared for as soon as their own kits deem them unuseful, kits starving, freezing, or being taken away by twolegs.”

He paused to gauge their reactions, and give them a moment to think about what he said. It wasn’t that Hound was one of the only cats who cared about her kin enough to take care of them, the problem was that few could afford to. Hound had paid with the lives of her kits, Deer was right about that, but Root hated that it was necessary to choose.

“A cat can get by here, if they are young and healthy, and capable of hunting for himself, but in a clan they help each other, all cats get a chance to live! The clans also aren’t here, among twolegs, who not only steal our kits, but scare away our prey, and befriend dangerous animals like dogs,” Deer glanced sharply over his shoulder at Root’s mention of dogs, and it added fuel to Root’s growing frustration with the way everyone was living, “Dogs that kill us for fun and not because their twolegs don’t feed them enough!”

Root drew a breath to calm himself as old memories came creeping back. There was one memory of his mother that had been burned into his mind, never fading. Lifeless green eyes, still wide with fear.

“If you don’t want to join us, then that’s fine, you can leave here and forget all about it, but if you do wish to join us, we leave tomorrow morning. Meet us here.”

He did not wait to see their reactions, Root simply hopped down from the log and made his way out of the clearing, his brother only a half step behind.

“I’ll admit,” Deer said as they made the walk back to the old fox den, “I still had my doubts about this whole thing, but I think you’re right about some of that stuff you said.”

“Some of it?” Root asked, throwing his brother a smile over his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not me you had to convince, don’t get too confident until we see who shows up tomorrow.”

“Is there anyone that you think will come?”

“Don’t ask me, I don’t want to guess, or even hope. A lot of cats around here don’t like change, they’re untrusting of strangers, and suspicious of new ideas.”

“I know, but I have hope anyway, mother did say that there are cats who will follow.”

~

When the sun had barely begun to rise, Root was awakened by his brother, who insisted that they spend some time hunting and catch as much prey as they could.

"If other cats show up, we don't want to start our journey with any empty bellies," Deer had said.

The brothers managed three pieces of prey, a small rat, a dove, and a squirrel.

They decided not to eat until they were sure that every cat had arrived, if any. Then the food could be fairly divided among any who had not eaten.

Parsley was there in the clearing when they arrived, not to join them, but to see them off. The old cat had already given them directions the day before, but he reminded them of the way.

"It only took me two days to make the journey," Parsley said, "But I only had myself to worry about, so depending on what cats decide to join you, it could easily take your group twice as long or more."

"If any decide to join us," Deer added, glancing around at the edges of the clearing.

Parsley didn't wait around, but the brothers weren't waiting long before the first cats arrived, a long haired dark gray tom with black fur like a shadow on the top of his head, along his back, and on his tail. He was accompanied by a scarred old black she-cat, and the two had matching amber eyes.

"We do have cats joining us," Root said, casting his brother a smile.

"Two," Deer agreed.

"So far."

"I don't recall if we've met personally," the gray and black tom said, "My name is Black, and this is my mother, Horse."

"We haven't, I am Root, and this is my brother Deer, we're glad to have you with us," Root said, then asked "What's a horse?"

"Very large animals, similar to deer," Horse replied, "There are twolegs who like to keep them. I was born at a farm, not too far from here, that had horses."

"Have you both eaten this morning?" Deer asked.

"Yes, we just ate," Black replied, "Difficulty finding food on our own was not the reason we decided to join you."

"We agree with your ideals," Horse said, "I like the idea of no cats being left to die, and everyone taking care of each other. We took care of each other on the farm, my family and the other barn cats."

"I'm more skeptical than Horse is," Black admitted, "But I'm willing to give it a try."

There was a rustling in the woods, and the group stood warily, waiting to see who or what was coming. Cats didn't usually make so much noise, but it was a cat that stepped out into the clearing, a brown tabby she-cat, followed by three other she-cats.

"Hound," Root greeted, "I was hoping the four of you would come."

"It's no secret that we're struggling on our own," Hound said, "I liked the idea of a clan, cats living together and helping each other, from the moment I first heard about it. Even if you hadn't spoken yesterday, we still would have gone."

Root introduced the she-cats to Black and Horse. There was Hound's sister, Loud, a pretty brown and white tabby with blue eyes. Their mother was called Wild, also a brown and white tabby, though Loud had a lot more white on her than Wild did. Last, there was Breeze, a pale tortoiseshell and Hound's remaining kit.

"Have all of you eaten?" Root asked.

"We shared two pieces of prey," Hound said.

"Then take two more," Root urged, nodded towards the prey he and his brother had caught."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes, that's what it's here for."

The she-cat selected the smallest two to share with her family.

It was while Hound and her family ate that another cat appeared, a silvery gray she-cat with black spots, a pregnant belly, and a bundle of plants held in her mouth.

She padded to the center of the group and dropped the bundle, then began dividing it into small piles, the same number of piles as there were cats.

"Everyone should eat these herbs," she said, "They will help us keep up our strength and energy."

"Eating leaves will do that?" Black asked, sounding skeptical.

"Yes," the she-cat replied, "Wandering cats like Parsley often eat them before traveling again, these are daisy, sorrel, and chamomile."

"I say it's worth a try," Root said, licking up his pile of herbs.

He wrinkled his nose against the bitter taste, but didn't complain.

"What is your name?" Deer asked, "I've seen you around a couple of times, but we've never really met."

"They call me Spots," she said, "And if I'm being perfectly honest, I mostly want to join you because I will be kitting soon enough, and I'm worried about being able to raise them on my own, as my last litter didn't make it."

"Well, there are three experienced she-cats here," Horse said, "You won't have to worry anymore."

"Thank you," Spots said, then glanced at the remaining piece of prey, "I've eaten this morning."

"Root and I will have it in that case," Deer said, "Then we should leave, we've waited long enough, if any other cats want to come they will have to catch up."

When the brothers had eaten, and everyone had been convinced to try the herbs, Root took a long look at his group. They had four, maybe more, cats capable of hunting. Little Breeze was untrained, he didn’t know about Horse, Loud was deaf, Wild hadn’t hunted for herself in moons, and though Spots must have been feeding herself somehow, he didn’t like the idea of making a heavily pregnant cat hunt for the group.

As Parsley had said, Root guessed that their travel time was at least doubled.


End file.
